math/minuit2/doc/Minuit2.md

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\page Minuit2Page Minuit2


The **Minuit2** library is a new object-oriented implementation, written in C++, of the popular MINUIT minimization package. These new version provides basically all the functionality present in the old Fortran version, with almost equivalent numerical accuracy and computational performances. Furthermore, it contains new functionality, like the possibility to set single side parameter limits or the FUMILI algorithm, which is an optimized method for least square and log likelihood minimizations. The package has been originally developed by M. Winkler and F. James. More information on the new C++ version can be found on the [MINUIT Web Site](http://www.cern.ch/minuit).

Minuit2, originally developed in the SEAL project, is now distributed within %ROOT. The API has been then changed in this new version to follow the %ROOT coding convention (function names starting with capital letters) and the classes have been moved inside the namespace _ROOT::Minuit2_. In addition, the %ROOT distribution contains classes needed to integrate Minuit2 in the %ROOT framework.

A new class has been introduced, ROOT::Minuit2::Minuit2Minimizer, which implements the interface ROOT::Math::Minimizer. Within %ROOT, it can be instantiates also using the %ROOT plug-in manager. This class provides a convenient entry point for using Minuit2\. An example of using this interface is the %ROOT tutorial _tutorials/fit/NumericalMinimization.C_ or the Minuit2 test program [<tt>testMinimize.cxx</tt>](http://root.cern.ch/viewvc/trunk/math/minuit2/test/testMinimize.cxx?view=markup).

A standalone version of Minuit2 (independent of %ROOT) can be downloaded from [here](../Minuit2.tar.gz). It does not contain the %ROOT interface and it is therefore totally independent of external packages and can be simply build using the _configure_ script and then _make_. Example tests are provided in the directory _test/MnSim_ and _test/MnTutorial_ and they can be built with the _make check_ command.
The [Minuit2 User Guide](https://root.cern.ch/root/htmldoc/guides/minuit2/Minuit2.html) provides all the information needed for using directly (without add-on packages like %ROOT) Minuit2.

## References

1.  F. James, _Fortran MINUIT Reference Manual_ ([html](https://cern-tex.web.cern.ch/cern-tex/minuit/minmain.html));
2.  F. James and M. Winkler, _C++ MINUIT User's Guide_ ([html](https://root.cern.ch/root/htmldoc/guides/minuit2/Minuit2.html) and [pdf](https://root.cern.ch/root/htmldoc/guides/minuit2/Minuit2.pdf));
3.  F. James, _Minuit Tutorial on Function Minimization_ ([pdf](http://seal.cern.ch/documents/minuit/mntutorial.pdf));
4.  F. James, _The Interpretation of Errors in Minuit_ ([pdf](http://seal.cern.ch/documents/minuit/mnerror.pdf));


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